SD-Bound Flight Cleared After Scare

Receive the latest local updates in your inbox

San Diego-bound Delta Air Lines Flight 1706 was diverted to Albuquerque, N.M., on May 8, 2011, after passengers say a note containing the word "bomb" was found in the Boeing 737 plane's lavatory.

Updated at 10:16 PM PDT on Sunday, May 8, 2011

A San Diego-bound Delta Air Lines flight that was diverted Sunday morning due to what authorities called a "potential security threat” returned to the air after "no suspicious devices” were found on the plane, an FBI spokesperson said.

The FBI’s Frank Fisher declined to clarify the nature of the "potential security threat" that caused the Boeing 737 plane, headed to San Diego from Detroit, to be diverted to Albuquerque, N.M.

San Diego Bound Plane Has Security Scare

A Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit was diverted Sunday morning to Albuquerque after passengers say a note containing the word "bomb" was found in the plane's lavatory. (Published Sunday, May 8, 2011)

The flight is tentatively scheduled to land in San Diego at 4:52 p.m. after being originally expected at 10:26 a.m.

The plane was carrying 107 passengers when the flight was diverted at 10 a.m. to Albuquerque due to a "potential security threat."

The airline was then brought to a remote location at the airport, where its passengers were interviewed, according to Albuquerque International Sunport airport spokesperson Daniel Jiron.

While the FBI and Delta aren’t saying what the threat was, one passenger claimed a note with the word “bomb” on it was found in the plane’s lavatory .

"The captain came on and said ‘You notice we're declining,’” said passenger Tim Cole, 55, to the Associated Press in Albuquerque. “’We're getting ready to divert. It's probably a hoax, but we've got to take this very seriously.’”

Fisher did not answer repeated questions over phone and email made about the note.

The flight’s passengers were "triple-screened" at the airport the landing in Albuquerque, one of the plane's passengers told a sibling, who relayed the information to NBCSanDiego.

Cole said FBI agents and dogs searched every passenger’s carry-on luggage and that all flight’s travelers received water, soda and pizza.

Currently, there are no details on whether agents made any arrests, but after finding nothing suspicious on the plane, it was cleared to take off, according to a spokesperson.

Also Sunday, a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Chicago was diverted to St. Louis after a passenger tried to open the plane's door midflight. The passenger was taken into custody.